Early Music Now is a one-hour program showcasing music from the Middle Ages, Renaissance and early Baroque: from sonorous medieval chant and polyphony to delightful Renaissance madrigals, dances, and consort music, to magnificent Baroque cantatas and keyboard music. Host Sara Schneider brings knowledge, charm and passion to her presentation of seven hundred years of music history. From the latest recordings by today's vibrant young ensembles, to classics from the dawn of the early music revival, Early Music Now makes this repertoire accessible and enjoyable to a wide audience.
This Devilish Song: Ballades, rondeaus and virelais from the late fourteenth century are on the program this week, performed by the Medieval Ensemble of London, plus the superb (and anonymous) Tournai Mass, performed by Ensemble Organum.
Rejoice and Give Thanks!: We're celebrating Thanksgiving with sounds of joy and gratitude including a Magnificat setting by Victoria, a German Te Deum by Hieronymus Praetorius, and Bach's Cantata No. 29 featuring Collegium Vocale Gent.
Wounded by Love: This week's show presents intensely personal and virtuosic music for theorbo by Bellerofonte Castaldi (1580-1649) played by Evangelina Mascardi. We'll also hear songs from the courts of Renaissance Italy called frottole featuring the Modena Consort and soprano Ulrike Hofbauer.
The Fantastic Style: Stylus Fantasticus was a wildly imaginative musical style that swept across Europe in the 17th century. We'll discover its Italian origins and follow its trajectory to northern Germany and Belgium, with music by Frescobaldi, Froberger, Buxtehude, and Nicolaus a Kempis. Our performers include Fantasticus, Ensemble Clematis, and Richard Egarr.